I used the modifications on this project. I like how this makes the top decreasing spiral a little cleaner.

Not super exciting, but a good choice for a typical man. I would think about making another one out of my leftover yarn.

In sad news, my usual photographer at work went completely AWOL. I am not happy about this for a number of reasons, but also, WHO IS GOING TO TAKE ALL MY PHOTOS NOW!?!? I have to start training another co-worker to take them, I suppose. This only kind of explains my lack of good pictures lately. I’m working on it, don’t give up on me.

I am finished with my Chance of Showers, and started right in on some chemo hats for Halos of Hope. I haven’t been able to get sweater pictures yet though, because my usual photographer has been MIA at work. So without a large project on the needles, I am just clicking away at some hats. And because I don’t have pictures of anything else, I’ll show you the first one I’ve finished.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Country Blue (the medium one), about 70 grams.

Needles: US 5 and US 6

Start Date: January 20, 2014

Finish Date: January 22, 2014

The pattern is supposed to be a little slouchy, but it isn’t really. I didn’t bother with gauge on this one, but it ended up fitting my large head pretty well. Though maybe I should make my other chemo hats a little smaller. If I were to do this again, I would probably do the ribbing on a needle 2 sizes smaller than the body. Otherwise it was a pretty straightforward pattern and a quick knit.

I am currently working on another hat for Halos of Hope. It is Barley by tincanknits and also done in Caron Simply Soft. I had bought three skeins of this when I made my Op Top hat copying Michele and Eve. And now I want to get it out of my house! And I didn’t really have any other good yarn for charity knitting. Too much non-superwash wool in my stash. I think I will send these hats off for the Podcasters Showdown – probably to the Knitmore Girls. It is totally crazy how much I listen to knitting podcasts now. I have a lot of time at work when I am just doing menial tasks or winding through film and it is really nice to have something to listen to. Of course in my old position I just listened to a lot of NPR, so I was probably a more well-informed individual then…

I am kind of obsessed with bonnets right now. I have pretty much queued up every bonnet pattern to cross my path. It should look so old-fashioned but it seems so current right now! I am loving the Houndstooth Bonnet by Wendy Bernard, the Capucine by Adela Illichmanova and the Riga Bonnet by Allison Dykhuizen. But here’s the first one I knit:

I didn’t make any real mods. My numbers didn’t match up at the top of the hat, but I just added another decrease row and kind of fudged it. I made the large size. I have a large head and it fits well. It is very stretchy so it even fit Lucas’s head and his is on the small end. It would probably drape better if I blocked it, but I like how it kind of hugs my head now.

The yarn is a little too tonal to get a good view of the cables. The front section is made like a cabled headband in the round (to be double-layered) than you pick up and work in the round for the cap part. And that section just has some wrapped sections, no actual cables.

The hat itself took just under a skein (220 yds) and then I used about another 1/3 a skein or so for the pompom. This is when one of those giant pompom makers would come in handy. Instead I wrapped the yarn around the 5″ side of a few index cards instead. It turned out well, but the pompom isn’t very dense. Big yes, but not like a squishy dense ball. I have the pompom just tied on right now so that I can remove it to wash the hat. Or if I change my mind about giant pompoms.

I made my twist-ties a little shorter than in the pattern. They are about 12″ long. My strands are from my outstretched hand to halfway through my torso. I don’t love how they are connected to the edge of the bonnet though. The knots at the join look a little sloppy. It’s possible I didn’t understand the instructions correctly! I am planning on taking the ties off and maybe just making them braids. Then they will be cleaner at the top of the hat and have knots at the ends of the ties.

I am pretty pleased with it! It is the perfect hat to take on my upcoming trip to Yellowstone! It is my second hat for the EpicKalCal. Project #8 of 12. I have more completed stuff, so stay tuned!